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Influenza Blog

Related terms: The Flu, Flu

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Rapid Flu Tests a Good First Step: Study

Posted 27 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 27 – Rapid diagnostic influenza tests provide an accurate diagnosis, and their use during flu season could lead to earlier treatment for patients and help prevent the spread of the illness, two new studies suggest. The 2012 flu season is just beginning and, despite the late start, is expected to sicken up to 5 million people worldwide, experts say. Most patients will recover, but up to 500,000 will die, with the youngest and oldest patients most vulnerable. The two studies, published online in the Feb. 28 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, highlight the importance of prompt diagnosis and treatment. Viral cultures are accurate in diagnosing flu but can take up to 10 days to provide results. Newer reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests provide results much sooner but are expensive and require specialized equipment. Rapid influenza ... Read more

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Flu Season Off to Slow Start, So Far

Posted 18 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 – Could this be the flu season that wasn't? After the H1N1-linked drama of prior years, the low number of cases of influenza currently circulating in the United States is reassuring, experts said. But that doesn't mean the virus couldn't still become the wily foe it so often is, they added. "If you look at the nation as a whole, we are seeing low activity across the country," said Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He stressed, however, that flu season generally peaks in the first couple of months of the year. "As we move to February, we expect that activity will increase," Skinner added. Health-care providers across the country echoed those findings. On the East Coast, all has been relatively quiet. "The activity is pretty low here," said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist with Lenox Hill Hospital in ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Swine Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Health Tip: Avoid the Flu During Travel

Posted 16 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

-- Plane or bus travel is a prime way to pick up or spread the flu. But there are steps you can take to help avoid getting others sick or getting sick yourself. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these suggestions: Get a flu shot before you travel. Pack a kit of hand sanitizer, soap, tissues and pain relievers. Don't travel if you don't feel well or suspect you might have the flu. Cover your mouth and nose if you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue, rather than your hands. Wash your hands frequently with water and soap. Stay away from people who are sick. Try not to touch your mouth, eyes or nose. Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Internet Flu Searches May Warn of Outbreaks

Posted 11 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 – Keeping an eye on Internet search traffic about the flu can provide hospital emergency departments with an early warning system about potential surges in seasonal flu cases, a new study suggests. This approach may be more effective than waiting for outdated government flu case reports, the Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers said. They tracked and reviewed Google Flu Trends data for Baltimore and matched that with data on people seeking care for flu at the Johns Hopkins Hospital between January 2009 and October 2010. The 21-month study found a strong connection between a rise in Internet searches for flu information and a subsequent increase in the number of people with flu-like symptoms coming to the hospital emergency room. The findings show promise for eventually developing a standard regional or national flu early warning system for emergency department managers ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Flu Prevention Critical for Those With Neurologic Conditions, CDC Says

Posted 5 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 5 – Children and young adults with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions are at high risk for complications from the flu and should receive flu vaccinations, say health officials who investigated a flu outbreak in Ohio in February 2011. Of the 130 people living at a residential facility for children and young adults with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, 76 (58 percent) developed respiratory illness. Thirteen became severely ill and seven died. All 13 residents who became severely ill had multiple neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, which may have hindered early diagnosis and treatment of the flu and contributed to the severity of their illness, said the research team from the Ohio Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The investigators said doctors need to watch for signs of flu among ... Read more

Could Statins Help Those Hospitalized With Flu?

Posted 14 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 14 – Statins, the drugs that can dramatically lower cholesterol levels, may one day also prove useful in combating serious cases of the flu. A preliminary study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases finds that patients hospitalized with influenza were less likely to die if they were taking a statin, compared with their peers who weren't taking one of the drugs. The effect held even after adjusting for heart disease. But it's far too soon to consider adding statins to the existing anti-flu armamentarium, the authors stated. "At this point, statins should not become the standard of care for people hospitalized with the flu," cautioned study co-author Dr. Ann Thomas, a public health physician with the Oregon Public Health Division in Portland. "We would like to see more studies, [and] I think it would be worthwhile to do these studies." Right now, preventive vaccinations ... Read more

Americans Encouraged to Get Flu Vaccine

Posted 9 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Dec. 9 – Flu vaccination is easy to get and one of the best ways to protect your health during the flu season, but too few Americans take advantage of it, experts say. "People often shrug off concerns about the flu, yet every year it strikes up to 20 percent of Americans, sending more than 200,000 to the hospital and killing thousands," Dr. Thomas Slama, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and a clinical professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said in an IDSA news release. There are several different ways to receive the flu vaccine and it's available in doctor's offices, health clinics, pharmacies and retail stores, but only 42 percent of people in the United States were vaccinated last flu season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's National Influenza Vaccination Week, Dec. 4-10, is ... Read more

How to Stay Flu-Free for the Holidays

Posted 1 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 1 – The overlap of the cold and flu season with the holiday season can make it a challenge to stay healthy as you go to parties and get together with family and friends. Getting a flu shot is important, but other precautions can also reduce your risk of getting sick or of spreading illness to others, according to a Ryerson University news release. Here are some tips for a healthy holiday: When you have to cough or sneeze, do it in your sleeve or the inside of your sweater or jacket. That will prevent the spread of viruses to those nearby. Wash your hands regularly and always after using the restroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose. Use the air kiss or fake peck on the cheek instead of a kiss on the lips when greeting family and friends. Always use serving spoons or forks – never your fingers – to put food on your plate. If you're hosting a party, be sure ... Read more

Related support groups: Influenza, Influenza Prophylaxis

Flu Hits 90 Million Children Under 5 Each Year

Posted 11 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Nov. 11 – Although it can be prevented with a vaccine, roughly 90 million children worlwide who are younger than 5 get the flu each year, resulting in about 1 million hospital admissions, a new study indicates. Published in the Nov. 11 online edition of The Lancet, the research also revealed that flu-related pneumonia claimed the lives of up to 111,500 children in 2008. According to the report, 99 percent of these deaths occurred in developing countries. The study authors based their research on 43 previous studies, which included information on roughly 8 million children. They also found that 20 million young children are also diagnosed with flu-related pneumonia. Of these cases, the researchers added, 7 percent are considered severe. Harish Nair, of the Center for Population Health Sciences, Medical School at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and colleagues suggested ... Read more

It's Possible to Come Down With Two Flu Viruses at Once

Posted 2 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 – A rare occurrence of people becoming infected with seasonal and pandemic flu strains at the same time has been confirmed by researchers. The co-infection with the pandemic H1N1 swine flu strain and a seasonal strain called H3N2 was identified in a young Cambodian boy and his teacher in October 2009. A complete sequencing of the genomes of both viruses showed that the viruses did not recombine into a new and different virus. Both patients recovered, but the researchers say the event serves as a reminder of the ongoing risk of different flu viruses combining in people to create a more lethal strain. They also said that flu virus co-infections in Southeast Asia require particularly close scrutiny due to the ongoing presence of the H5N1 bird flu virus and the pandemic H1N1 virus. The report is published in the November issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine ... Read more

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Pandemic Flu of 1918 Circulated Months Before Deaths Peaked

Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – The influenza virus that killed 50 million people worldwide in 1918 was circulating in the United States at least four months before the outbreak reached pandemic levels in the fall of that year, researchers say. Their finding comes from examinations of preserved lung tissue and other samples collected during the autopsies of 68 American soldiers who died of respiratory infections in 1918. Proteins and genetic material from the 1918 flu virus were found in specimens from 37 of the soldiers, including four who died between May and August, months before the pandemic peaked. Those four cases are the world's earliest known documented cases of the 1918 flu pandemic, according to the team at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The researchers also found that the tissue damage and clinical disease in the pre-pandemic victims were the same as ... Read more

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Fear Proves Prime Motivator for Vaccinations

Posted 16 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 16 – Sometimes a little fear might be a good thing. To run an effective public vaccination program, you've got to make sure that adequate amounts of the vaccine are available and there are enough staff members to administer it, said Dr. Adewale Troutman, director of the public health practice program at the University of South Florida, who, until recently, headed the Department of Public Health and Wellness in Louisville. You also have to figure out when the public will be available to come get the vaccinations you offer. And, of course, you need to make sure they are properly frightened. Fear has proven to be the most potent motivator in getting people to not shrug off important immunizations, like an annual flu shot, Troutman said. "The influenza vaccine is really an important immunization that people discount because, ehh, it's just the flu," he said. "But tens of ... Read more

Flu Killed 115 Children Last Season: CDC

Posted 15 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 15 – Children typically don't die from the flu or its complications. Still, U.S. health officials reported Thursday that 115 kids younger than 18 died from flu-related causes during the one-year period that ended Aug. 31. And many of the deaths could have been prevented if the children had been vaccinated against the flu, said the officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a report in the Sept. 16 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, agency officials said the findings highlight the importance of both annual vaccinations and rapid antiviral treatment. "It's vital that children get vaccinated," Dr. Lyn Finelli, chief of the CDC's Surveillance and Outbreak Response Team, said in an agency news release. "We know the flu vaccine isn't 100 percent effective, especially not in children with high-risk medical conditions. That's ... Read more

Pregnant Women Reminded to Get Flu Vaccine

Posted 14 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 14 – Pregnant women should get a flu shot to protect themselves and even their newborn from the flu, experts say. Pregnancy increases the risk of serious complications of flu, such as bacterial pneumonia and dehydration, according to the March of Dimes. Not only does getting vaccinated offer protection from the flu for moms-to-be, the vaccine can also confer protection to the baby once it's born, said Dr. Alan Fleischman, March of Dimes medical director. "The flu vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective. As an added bonus, during pregnancy, mothers pass on their immunity, protecting babies in those early months of life," said Fleischman in a March of Dimes news release. "We urge all pregnant women, and women who expect to become pregnant, to get their influenza immunization because the flu poses a serious risk of illness and even death during pregnancy." During ... Read more

Research Shows How Some Folks Resist Getting Sick With the Flu

Posted 25 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Aug. 25 – Your immune system response to a flu virus determines whether or not you will get sick, and that immune reaction can be observed through gene activity, according to a new study. Researchers examined more than 22,000 genes in 267 blood samples from 17 healthy volunteers who were infected with a flu virus. There were significant and complex differences in the immune responses between the half of the participants who got sick and those who didn't, the investigators found. The gene activity, or expression, data revealed how the volunteers' immune systems reacted and organized a response to flu virus. Differences in gene expressions between those who got sick and those who remained healthy were measurable up to about 36 hours before peak flu symptoms developed. This suggests that it may be possible to detect flu at an early stage so that people can take precautions and ... Read more

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Influenza Prophylaxis, Swine Influenza, Avian Influenza, Influenza A, Influenza with Pneumonia, Infections

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